The City of Suwanee Code of Ordinances does not contain a dedicated short-term rental registration program or STR-specific permit. Operators of Airbnb or Vrbo properties inside city limits do, however, need a Suwanee Occupational Tax Certificate from the Business Services Department and must collect city hotel/motel excise tax for stays under 30 days. Gwinnett County (which provides fire and police services) has no separate STR registration either.
Suwanee has not adopted a stand-alone short-term rental ordinance in the Code of Ordinances published on Municode. Chapter 46 (Planning) and the city's zoning ordinance regulate residential land use without singling out STRs as a permitted or prohibited use, so Airbnb-style rentals operate under general residential and home-occupation rules. Anyone running a rental as a business inside city limits is required to apply for an Occupational Tax Certificate through the Business Services Department at 330 Town Center Avenue (770-945-8996; occupationaltax@suwanee.com) and renew it annually by March 31, with a 10% or $25 late penalty after that date. Because Suwanee charges its own hotel/motel excise tax on stays of fewer than 30 consecutive days, operators must also register with the Business Services Department to remit that tax monthly. Georgia has no statewide STR registration mandate, but the state Hotel-Motel Excise Tax statute (O.C.G.A. Sec. 48-13-50 through 51) authorizes the city's local levy and a state $5/night Hotel-Motel Fee applies. HOA covenants in Suwanee subdivisions frequently restrict rentals shorter than 30 days even when the city does not.
Operating an STR in Suwanee without an Occupational Tax Certificate, or failing to remit the city hotel/motel excise tax monthly, can trigger a 10% or $25 late penalty plus 1% monthly interest under the city's occupational tax framework, and additional collection or enforcement action by the Business Services Department.
See how other cities in Gwinnett County handle registration rules.
See how Suwanee's registration rules rules stack up against other locations.
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